happening now in the newsroom just four days until we go over the so-called fiscal cliff. why that deadline could hit unemployed americans hard. training teachers to defend themselves and their students. hundreds of educators attend a free gun class in utah. it's the latest response to the newtown school massacre that's attracting a lot of attention this morning. thousands of dockworkers could put the u.s. economy at risk if they go on strike on sunday. we'll take you inside the crisis some are calling the container cliff. and sea world taking its water act all the way to wall street. why investors could soon own a peace of shamu. "newsroom" starts right now. good morning. i'm victor blackwell. carol has the morning off. with the nation still reeling from the shooting massacre in newtown, connecticut, and

engaged in a national debate on gun control, chicago suffered a grim milestone last night, a man was killed in a shooting on chicago's dangerous west side. this scene marks chicago's 500th homicide this year alone. that's up more than 50 from last year. now when we're researching this story this morning, one statistic really jumped out at us. in the past five years, 270 children have been killed by gun violence in chicago. on top of that, there have been dozens of other people injured. cnn's ted rowlands rode along with two chicago police officers earlier this year to get a firsthand look what it's like on the streets of chicago. here is his report. >> there's a couple places i want to check out. >> reporter: it's a friday night on the streets of chicago in theening. wood neighborhood. joe patterson and leo schmidt have been cops here for 26 years. >> we go around the blocks, what you do is you scan everything

and when they see they're a policeman if they're doing something wrong or got a gun they start moving away or running. >> reporter: as we ride along there's near constant reports of shots fired over the radio. >> we have a person with a gun -- >> reporter: a call comes in that gets their attention. >> 64 to loomis, shots fired, that's one block away from the police station. >> reporter: it's also near a park where, in the morning, there's a community event planned. >> someone with a gun there, we got people over there setting up. >> reporter: when we arrive there's no sign of the person with the gun and there's no time to linger. we leave as quickly as we arrive because there's another call just a few blocks away. >> a man with a gun on 6444 bishop. >> reporter: when we arrive there's a man in custody and this gun found in the house. >> we're still working but that's the name of the game and how we stop the next shooting. >> we expected to make much greater gains by this point.

this idea of not in my backyard is not okay. we have to make the entire city safe. >> reporter: mccarthy's plan includes holding gang members in custody, taking back specific street corners where drugs are solding and using gang information to predict and stop retribution killings, but he says he needs more help from the community. >> law enforcement is not going to solve the gang problem in chicago. law enforcement is not going to solve the gun problem in chicago. law enforcement is not going to fix the educational system or the poverty rate or any of those other things. >> get close to home now, starting to get late, boys. >> reporter: one thing we noticed was the amount of children on the streets after dark. >> you guys about to go in the house, right? we got to get them home where the parents can help us a lot. >> we need the parents to step up a little bit more and take ownership sincerely of their children and raise them a little bit better. >> stay here. >> reporter: at one point they pull over two men driving a car

with illegal tailpipes. >> you got a license. >> they approach with caution and end up being clean, no tattoos, just two young men out trying to have a good time. the men may feel like they're being harassed. leo and jose it's a part of the job. >> overall, we do a good job as a police department and our numbers although they might have doubled up a little bit this year, by the end of the year we might have that taken care of. >> reporter: easier said than done and there's more work to be done in every day. >> shots were just fired. >> reporter: ted rowlands, cnn, chicago. coming up in the next hour i'll talk with reverend jesse jackson about the ongoing problem of gun violence in chicago and important ways to solve it. yesterday carol costello interviewed the president of the nra david keene. >> i'll tell you who i'd like to have indicted and prosecuted, the people in chicago, the criminals in chicago who made that one of the most violent

cities in maeshlamerica. in chicago there's less chance that you'll be prosecuted under federal firearms laws than in almost any major city in this country and that's a crime. >> reverend jackson knows that city very well so of course we'll get his response to that, that's coming up in about 90 minutes. shifting gears now, by now you've heard all about the finger pointing over the fiscal cliff, it's happening all day, both sides blame each other for the lack of progress and today, top congressional leaders will head to the white house for a meeting with president obama, trying to strike a deal with just four days to go. getting lost in the rhetoric are everyday americans like my next guest, she says washington needs to know how important the fiscal cliff is to those who are out of work, specifically to the 2 million americans who will lose their federal unemployment benefits an average of about

$300 a week if no deal is reached. >> good morning. >> you were laid off a year ago. tell us your story. >> well, yes, i was laid off a year ago around this time in december. and i received employment so i've been trying to look for a job which has been very difficult, on the internet every day. i also tried to start my own small business in the same field, janitorial services, which the whole thing of not having any money has caused a great hardship because i'm unable now to finance my business as well or get a small business loan because i don't have a job. >> $300, i just want to jump in, i apologize for cutting you off $300 a week doesn't get you very far to the point of financing a

business. how much did this cover just your everyday expenses of living and taking care of your grocery bill and all that you have to pay for? >> well, in actuality, it doesn't. it doesn't even cover my entire rent. we have to juggle to pay the rent, to buy food, and maybe one month pay the electric bill and the next month not. you know, it doesn't help to pay for everything. >> when you say "we" are you raising children as well? >> yes, my grandson, my 14-year-old grandson. >> and how do you explain this to him? >> well, he understands. you know, he constantly says grandma, don't worry. it's going to be all right. it's going to be all right. i have worked my entire life for over 30 years, i have never felt such hardship as i have trying to find a job this year. >> now, he's telling you it's going to be all right. we're watching what's happening on capitol hill this back and

forth over the fiscal cliff. do you believe it's going to be all right? >> well you know, i have to have faith. i have to believe that the senators in congress, people understand that these are real people who are unemployed, that you know, they're making decisions on people's lives. it's just not a number. it's not just 2 million people. there are 2 million families and even those people who have not found a job that doesn't even report to the unemployment that they do not have a job, so it's many people unemployed and jobs are very hard to come by. >> karen, i'm going to have on some leadership, members of the leadership from washington in a moment and i want to you just speak to them, what do you want them to know before this meeting at the white house today? just tell them your appeal to come to some kind of deal so that your benefits don't run out.

>> you want me to -- >> yes tell me what you would say to them. >> i'm sorry. i would ask them to please, come together and make a decision, a decision is needed, put all the personal, personalities aside and step up and make a decision. it's not that difficult to make a decision to make sure that millions of americans have food to put on their table and to be able to pay their rent, until they're able to find employment. it is very important. >> i'm sure you're getting a lot of amens from around the country right now. karen duckett thank you for sharing your story with us. >> thank you for letting me be here. >> sure. tributes are pouring in for general norman schwarzkopf, stormin' norman he was known for.

schwarzkopf was 78. secretary of state hillary clinton will be back at work next week. she's been at home for three weeks, recovering from the stomach flu, when she fainted and suffered a concussion. clinton promised to testify next month before congress on the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. former president h.w. bush is in intensive care, still in intensive care this morning. the 88-year-old is being treated for an elevated fever. doctors were initially treating bush for bronchitis and a cough when he was first hospitalized last month. his family says they are confidence he'll be released soon. ford living up to its go further tag line. over the next two years the automaker says it will spend $773 million to expand six manufacturing plants in southeastern michigan. the investment will add more than 2,300 jobs in the state and

it's part of ford's pledge in october to add 12,000 jobs and invest more than $6 billion in the u.s. by 2015. sticking with our auto theme "consumer reports" is out with the list of best value cars. alison kosik at the new york stock exchange and ready to ride. good morning. >> good morning. >> which car came out on top this year? >> the top spot this year goes to, drum roll, please, drrrr -- there you go, the toyota prius. this is what "consumer reports" found. it divided the lils st of the b value cars by type of vehicle. the prius came out not just on top in the small hatchback category but also as the best value among all 2013 model year cars. to figure out these rankings, the magazine takes into account how much it costs to own one, how the car performs, how reliable it is and "consumer

reports" estimates a prius costs 49 cents a mile to own and if you've got kids the camry hybrid, that topped the family sedan category. "consumer reports" says it's not just comfortable and roomy, it also gets 38 miles per gallon and looking for something sexier the lexus rx350 is the best value large or luxury suv and despite the fact it's a little lackluster in how it drives, it did, however, victor, do pretty well in the magazines performance tests. >> some good news for toyota. they need it now. >> they do. >> the lexus for folks looking for something, i like the way you said that, a little sexier. >> yes. >> alison kosik. >> no more mini vans. teacher locked in the classroom, there's nothing i can do. not true. there's tons of thing we can do and we articulated a whole bunch of them >> teaching teachers to fight back in the classroom, hundreds turn out in utah for a free

lesson on guns, exploring their options for a worst case scenario. welcome to chevy's year-end event. so, the 5.3-liter v8 silverado can tow up to 9,600 pounds? 315 horsepower. what's that in reindeer-power? [ laughs ] [ pencil scratches ] [ male announcer ] chevy's giving more. get the best offer of the year -- 0% apr financing for 60 months plus $1,000 holiday bonus cash. plus trade up for an additional $1,000 trade-in allowance. hurry. bonus cash ends january 2nd. ♪ you make me happy when skies are gray ♪ [ female announcer ] you know exactly what it takes to make them feel better. ♪ you make me happy

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let's check top stories now. russia may be emerging as more of a player in efforts to end the syrian civil war. russia's foreign minister held talks on syria with his egyptian counteren part today. russia is also reaching out to a syrian opposition leader to hold the meeting. the florida man known as the dinosaur smuggler is facing 17 years in prison. eric pricopi pleaded guilty to illegally buying and selling whole or partial dinosaur

skeletons and slipping them through u.s. customs. sentencing is scheduled for april. the remains are being returned to mongolia. a new year's resolution for drivers in chicago, use the l, because starting january 1st the city will have the most expensive parking meter rates in north america. how expensive? $6.50 per one hour in the loop. it will be the fifth year in a row that the city's meter rates have gone up. the massacre at sandy hook elementary school got a lot of teachers thinking, what would they do if they found themselves in that same situation and a debate has exploded over whether arming educators is the answer. this is utah, hundreds of people attended a free gun training class especially tailored to teachers and other school employees, some of them already are sold on this idea, others just want to learn more and maybe give themselves the option. joining us now is david burnell, ceo of ops gear, he cosponsored

the class with the utah shooting sports council and cory sorenson, a fourth grade teacher who attended the class. good to have both of you. i want to start with david. david, what did you teach in this class? >> the class is broken into two parts, it's called mass file and solutions and these are alternatives to being murdered in a classroom and we break it down into three categories, we talk about run, hide, fight, and breaking contact from the bad guy and barricading and we talk about the last resort you have to fight and the fight piece we break it down into proximity tools such as tasers, pepper spray, where you have to be close to the bad guy and firearms gives you a standoff defensive capability and most of the teachers were eager to learn about that option. >> cory tell us why you took this class? >> to gain more knowledge as well as to find more options that educators have in the classroom to be able to protect

the children that they're in charge of. >> do you currently own a gun? >> i do. >> and are you in favor of being able to carry this gun in class? do you think your colleagues should also carry guns in class? >> i'm grateful for the choice and the option and the right that i have to make that decision whether i want to carry in the classroom or not carry and i think also there are some people who desire to carry and some people who don't, and i believe that those that do desire to carry a concealed weapon in the classroom, that they are trained to do so. >> do you think that -- who should be a part of this conversation, because there's been a lot of discussion from the teachers unions and from parents who send their school, who should be making the decision on if teachers should be able to carry in class. do you think that parents should have some role in deciding if

you carry a gun? >> you know, i believe that in utah we have that, the right to carry, and i'm grateful for that right. i believe that parents have that right as well, if they wanted to carry concealed, but i'm grateful that i have that choice. so i believe that each individual person's right to choose. >> let's bring in the national education association president and the american federation of teachers, they issued joint statement, we're putting it up on the screen. "guns have no place in our schools, period. we must do everything we can to reduce the possibility of any gunfire in schools, and concentrate on ways to keep all guns off school property and ensure the safety of children and school employees." david what do you say to people opposed to the idea of putting more guns into educational facilities? >> well i think we would all

agree as parents that guns in schools especially by felons and by mass murderers is a bad idea. >> many parents say any guns is a bad idea. >> i understand they would say that and a lot of that comes from a lack of education on the safe ownership and responsible deployment of a firearm. there's education that goes along with that responsibility and we provided that yesterday, the first parts of that. there needs to be follow-on education. is it right to arm every teacher? not every teacher wants to be armed so of course not. is it right to give those an option that want that? i think it's a lot better than putting your hands in front of your face and taking a round in your skull is in the connecticut school system and having the children murdered after that takes place. it's a much better option. >> kung a teacher -- >> the teachers are terrified. >> do you think an armed teacher could have stopped this man with the bushmaster? >> it's a matter of good shot placement, it would have definitely stopped that bad guy. here is the other piece. it's not just about that.

bad guys when they're on a killing spree need to have a disruptor, something to disrupt their behavior. several recent shootings and shootings from the past when somebody challenged the bad guy, either they run off and kill themselves or barricade themselves in the place where they started the assault and s.w.a.t. can come in, contain the area, deal with the threat. in the absence of a disruptor you're at the will of the man with the gun. >> i have one more question. go ahead, just i have one more question for cori. >> we believe and why we supported it that the individual has the right to defend themselves. our bad guys in this country have tremendous rights, they even have a miranda act that tells them what their rights are yet our teachers are confronted with violent crimes -- >> before we get to reading someone their miranda rights, we have limited time. cori my question for to you wrap up is, aside from when there is a bad guy in the classroom, you are a woman of a small stature

and when i was in high school i was a big dude, i'm 6'2", 220. if there's someone in your classroom, you teach fourth grade but a teacher like you who has a gun in the classroom and they want it, how are you going to stop them from getting it? that's a concern some people have. >> how am i going to stop who from getting it? sorry. >> if you carry it in your school and you have a gun. >> yes. >> there is a student who is in maybe the 11th grade and wants to get to a gun they know is in the classroom or believe is in the classroom, how do you stop them from getting it? can you stop them from doing that? >> yes, i've taken, you know, first of all it's going to be on my person at all times and second of all i've taken numerous self-defense classes. i've been in shoot houses and so yes, i would be able to. i know i have the techniques and i'm very confident in being able to take somebody of a large stature, larger stature than i down if i needed to.

>> david burnell, cori sorenson, this debate will continue. i thank you for being part of it. >> thank you. >> thank you for your time. some are calling with the container cliff, thousands of dockworkers from maine to texas are threatening to go on strike on sunday. we'll tell you why it could cost you and the economy a lot of money.

finally, some relief from that winter storm that crossed the country this week, the record-breaking snow, high winds, tornadoes, you remember this, maybe you were out in it, caused cancellations of thousands of flights. the storm is blamed for at least ten deaths.

some lingering snowfall is happening right now in the northeast and people from arkansas to tennessee are seeing freezing rain. let's go now to meteorologist bonnie schneider. bonnie, it is a mess out there. >> it is, victor and unfortunately, while one storm exits another one comes in. this one is bringing freezing rain to the mid south. the same region that sought heavy snow on christmas day, we're watching for the freezing rain to continue throughout the afternoon, you can see some heavy rain in louisiana. we actually have some thunderstorms rolling through and that's also impacting mississippi as well. but it's really the freezing rain i'm most concerned with. as the water hits any area if we zoom in, the temperatures are teetering right around the freezing mark so it's definitely cold across little rock and oklahoma city. in the northeast, cold air has filtered in behind the exiting system so now we have temperatures right below freezing in new york city. let's look at the storm system as it works its way across the east for the weekend. this is going to be a big snowmaker for areas into ohio on top of what we've already seen

and we're watching as we go through the weekend to see even more snow across areas of upstate new york, pennsylvania. it looks like new york city will see a little bit of snow, one to three inches. when you talk about snow cover, most of the country is impacted with some sort of white on the ground at this time. look at this, 65% of the lower 48 with snow and how does that compare to last year, only 48%, that was at the peak of winter and we're still in december so victor, i think we have ways to go and looking at a snowy start to the winter season. >> we'll get ready for it. bonnie, thanks. one of the nation's biggest craft stores hobby lobby is facing up to a fine of $1 million a day, refusing to follow some of the rules in the affordable health care law. questions?

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good morning. i'm victor blackwell in for carol costello. stories we're watching in "the newsroom" the opening bell at the new york stock exchange rang just a few seconds ago. stocks are poised to open with lower, open lower rather with much of their attention still focused on that fiscal cliff. ringing the opening bell today the startup weekend leadership team. tributes are pouring in this morning for retired general norman schwarzkopf, stormin' norman as he was known died yesterday. he became a household name in the '90s as he led america to victory as commander of

coalition forces during the first gulf war. schwarzkopf was 78. craft store giant hobby lobby is bracing for a $1.3 million a day fine. it starts january 1st for bucking some of the rules in the affordable health care law. you see the company opposes providing some contraceptives to its employees tough its company health care plan citing religious grounds. the company says some contraceptive products like the morning after pill equate to abortion. just four days now until the u.s. could cross over that fiscal cliff and just in case washington doesn't make a deal, we're getting you ready. every day this week, we've been taking a look at how it will affect you and your pocketbook and today we're focusing on those of you getting close to retirement. ryan mack, president of optimum capital management joins me via

skype from detroit. good to have you back. >> thank you for having me. >> let's start with the basics, talking about retirement and sometimes when you get all deep in the weeds it's difficult for people to stay with you, so let's talk about the retirement accounts and what we should take into consideration. >> all right, well essentially the worst question, the hardest question we could take is when someone's 55 and they say ryan, i've lost all of my money in the markets. what am i supposed to do? essential will i that means they were not allocated appropriately, essentially there are three stages to any investment or life cycle, at cuthe accumulation, ready to take on risk, just graduated age, the conservation, got a lot of years, still have the ability to take on some risk and the retirement phase, the distribution phase, five, ten years left until retirement, conserve your capital and lot less aggressive and you want to

make sure you can conserve the capital so you can prepare for retirement. >> let's talk about the 401(k), pensions are going away and few and far between from companies. give us some tips to beef those up. >> essentially a lot of individuals have to, one, read the package, how many people have this 401(k) package sitting up under the beds collecting dust for months and months at a time without necessarily reading it. you have to determine your asset allocation structure in your 401(k), picking the right investments, knowing the rules of the 401(k), especially looking at that expense ratio, meaning high expense ratio. if you have 1.5% to 2% ratio that might set off red flags and lastly don't wait to start. the hr benefits department they're hiring and firing. you might have to check to make sure they selected the right 401(k) for you. we've insisted they go to the benefits department and say we'd like to select a 401(k) more appropriate for our retirement

for the widest selection of funds. >> let's talk about the tax deferred accounts the i.r.a.s. what do we need to know? >> essentially we have to start as soon as you can. you have to be properly prepared. it's not good if we have a lot of debt or if we haven't set up, improved your credit in such a way that you are able to set a sustained investment strategy for your i.r.a. and selecting the appropriate investments, going to a good financial adviser, talking to someone who can assist you to make sure you have a well diversified portfolio, you can have a dollar cost investment strategy over the long run. >> making it simple and easy for us, ryan mack thank you very much. >> yes, sir, thank you. >> ryan has been with us all week tackling the fiscal cliff's effects on your pocketbooks and he'll be back with us next week with more advice to keep you ahead of washington. this is interesting, some are calling this the container cliff, thousands of dockworkers from maine to texas are threatening to strike on sunday. we're going to tell you about

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as if the looming fiscal cliff wasn't enough to worry about, now 14,000 dockworkers at ports from massachusetts to texas are threatening to go on

strike sunday. that could cost americans billions of dollars, because shipping costs on everything from shoes to cars would skyrocket. cnn's brian todd is at the port of baltimore. >> reporter: victor, this is a crucial port for commerce in this region. this is the seager terminal in baltimore. you see a containership to my right, the terminal on my left. over my left shoulder, 600,000 containers move through the port of baltimore every year, billions of dollars' worth of goods but that could all come to a grinding halt if the dockworkers and the shipping companies can't reach a deal. they moved everything from our cloths to toys and electronics through the ports and into the marketplace but a lot of the goods won't be making it to our stores if longshoreman from maine to texas go on strike. that's what could happen by sunday if a deal can't be reached between the major shipping companies and a union representing nearly 15,000

longshoremen. >> the impact would be great on the dollar value side, on the cargo handling side but also on the job side because again these ports are major economic generators. >> reporter: richard sher of the maryland port administration and others say the economic taj from a strike would reach well beyond the docks. sfr from your mom and pop retailer to your farmer to the trucking company who has to pick up the containers at the ports so this is going to be felt not just at the local economy at the port but nationwide for everybody else who relies on the ports to move their commerce. >> coming at the same time as the fiscal cliff impasse it's a potentially devastating one-two punch for the u.s. economy. neither the longshoreman's union nor the northern alliance would give us anyone to speak on camera but officials with knowledge of the negotiations say it boils down to one issue -- the key sticking point is over those large containers and the payments that longshoremen get for them. the shipping companies pay royalties to the longshoremen for the containers based on their weight but the shipping

companies want to freeze the royalty payments for current longshoremen and eliminate them completely for future hires. the longshoremen say the royalties are designed to make up for jobs lost to automation. strike would only affect ports that handle containers, not other cargo like automobiles, but if the shipping companies lock out the longshoreman -- >> that would impact more than containers. that would impact all cargos at ports, so that would have obviously a much more impactful reaction. >> reporter: how impactful? scher says east coast and gulf coast ports handled about $55 billion worth of cargo in an average month this year. victor? >> brian todd in baltimore, thank you. sea world, it's known for its splishes and splashes. i don't know if splish is a word but i used it, i'll stick with it and soon it could be making waves on wall street. ♪

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sea world heads to wall street and soon you could own a piece of the water park. alison kosik at the new york stock exchange, the obvious question is why is sea world going public? >> why not? it's going to be a whale of an ipo. >> really? that's what we're doing this morning? >> i'll give you the real answer here. first of all you think of who owns sea world, a private equity

firm blackstone owns the theme park and blackstone isn't known to holding on to the companies for long and they're looking to pay off debt. sea world has been doing pretty darned well lately. the company is looking to make its big splash or public debut sometime next year. it will trade under the ticker symbol seas and hoping to raise $100 million in the offering. some estimates put it higher. remember the facebook road show? yes, underwriters for sea world are going to be doing the same thing, they'll shop the company around, gauge interest, to figure out the right size and the right price tag for the ipo before its debut. also sea world also owns the busch gardens and sesame place brands as well so we can relate to those theme parks, too. >> families love going to the parks but if you're mom, dad, two or three kids it's expensive. >> yes it is. >> what is the potential effect on ticket prices? >> that's a really good

question. one ipo analyst we talked with said he doesn't see how it would affect ticket prices. he said that at least in florida, the sea world brand is always kind of played second fiddle to disney so it wouldn't be a good idea to raise prices and if they did it probably wouldn't be anything to write home about. in its filing sea world did say it may tinker with the idea of offering different ticket levels for different guest experiences so that's the only change that we see right now. it certainly is going to be even more interesting to see how investors react. sea world has had big jumps in both sales and profits recently and there are some unique risk factors that go with owning a share of a place like this. the topic of animals in captivity is a very touchy subject for many people. who can forget the uproar that happened after the trainer death a couple of years ago but still this is a relatable brand. the thought is it can jeb rate investors who like to dabble in the market or dabble at least in something that people can relate to, victor. >> a whale of an ipo, big splash on the market.

i'm happy you were able to use those. i know you've been working on it. >> i've been working on it hard. >> alison, thank you. next the top political stories of 2012. [ sniffs ] i have a cold.

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if you were putting together a list of the top political moments of 2012, you'd place the presidential election at the top, clearly. but there were other compelling stories inside and outside that campaign that made indelible

remarks. re here's candy crowley's top ten. >> reporter: picking the top ten moments of an election year is like finding your favorite grain of sand on the beach. there are an impossible number of possibilities. there are the moments when catch phrases become boomera eeboomer. >> if you got a business you didn't build that. >> i like to fire people who don't provide services to me. >> i'm an american woman who uses contraception, let's start there. >> like an etch-a-sketch, shake it up and start all over moment. >> reporter: and ridiculous to ine inexplicab inexplicable. >> i'm not going to shut up. i think it's my turn. >> i think it's called romnesia. >> i think it'sobamaogna. >> there are moments that made the top ten list. it was scene at the time as a

proxy race for november. wisconsin's republican governor scott walker in a showdown with organized labor over budget cuts and collective bargaining power. turns out the end result was no bell weather for the presidential race. walker won, the first governor in u.s. history to survive a recall election. and another nod to a republican governor. >> i can't thank the president enough for his compassion for our state and the people of our state. >> he had no noticeable effect on the presidential race but some republicans think christie didn't have to be that generous. they'll remember if his name pops up in 2016. >> if it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to shut that down. from the say what category comes a combo.

senate candidate todd akin. >> i think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape that it is something that god intended to happen. >> republican dreams to take control of the senate in 2012 had dwindled throughout the year, but akin and mourdock shut that door in a couple sentences. two words from mitt romney during the primary reverberated through november. the issue was his plan to prevent employers from hiring undocumented workers. >> people who have come here illegally won't be able to find work and those people would tend to leave the country. >> the option was not by itself responsible for romney's dismal showing among hispanics, but it surely greased the skids. also among the categories where romney wanted a mulligan, there was this.

romney called his remarks completely wrong. they also caused the deepest self-inflicted wound of the election. on the flip side -- >> he's going to be the next vice president of the united states. >> romney's dp day may have been the best moment of his campaign. the selection of paul ryan excited conservatives in a way romney himself had not. how many moems are there in an hour and a half? the president lost all of them in the first debate. the picture tells the story of a panicked man and providing an opening for romney. and finally, the top three moments of the election best described as history-making politics. >> a supreme court decision upholding the constitutionality of obama care. if that doesn't strike you as political, consider what would have happened on the campaign trail if the high court had struck down the president's

signature first-term achievement. >> at a certain point, i have concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that i think same-sex couples should be able to get married. >> the first president to endorse same-sex marriage was a daily double moment. good politics aimed at an activist wing of his party base and most certainly history. and finally, the number one political moment of the year is easy during elections. >> cnn projects that barack obama will be reelected president of the united states. >> we are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. we are and forever will be the united states of america. >> cue the confetti and then say good-bye to 2012 and all its moments. historical and hysterical.

this next story is unbelievable. sadly, it's believable. you think your teammate would have your back. one former nfl lineman didn't mind when the quarterback wound up on his back and injured. we'll talk about this one.

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the firing of a coach at any level can take a hit on his family, but avery johnson's son is hitting back. bleacher reports joins me now to talk about the new jersey nets. this is unbelievable. he was just coach of the month and now he's out. >> he was for october and november and then gone by new year's. this is the life in the nba for a head coach. there were a number of factors involved though including him being in the final year of a contract. this team had high expectations. they moved from new jersey to brooklyn. big payroll, but they had underperformed. after a great start, he was coach of the month, 3-10 in the month of december. then with the free agents not playing well including darrin williams, his team leader, insiders say he may have lost the locker room and there was too much at stake. but interesting what you're talking about, family members.

avery johnson jr. reaches out with a few tweets. "the expectations were way too high for this team. we didn't have a losing record, didn't even give my dad a full season." a team is struggling. maybe they will get on the right foot here. >> this story i talked about just before the break. one teammate, an nfl player, former nfl player admitting that he allowed a teammate to get injured. that's just -- >> the detroit lions tackle and really a stand up guy. a great player. admitted he did a bad thing during a recent radio interview. he said in a game in 199 against green bay, he allowed a lineman to hit his quarterback scott mitchell. the team was playing poorly. he felt mitchell was playing poorly so he wanted him out of the game. that's breaking that sacred

trust between a lineman and your quarterback. on top of this, brown was a guest in the mitchell home. he heard about this and called it reprehensible. but the bigger thing in an ironic twist, brown is a guy who is suing the nfl for compensatory damages for injuries related to football back in his playing days. so i think brown is going to reach out to mitchell and smooth it over. that's a horrible admission. >> and then quickly this heart-warming story. a painter out of baltimore. >> your hometown. 21-year-old darrin guest, what a great story. he spent most of his life battling muscular dystrophy but he's become an amazing artist. among his subject, members of the baltimore ravens. they have really embraced him so much so that one of the ravens commissioned guest to paint a portrait of his late brother. and obviously terrific work.

very impressed not only with his work but with this young man and what he's doing with his life. e let me give you a quick reminder. bleacherreport.com for all your news. you can read about that and their amazing run. >> thank you. next hour of cnn "newsroom" begins right now. happening now in the newsroom, you know the fiscal cliff is fast approaching, but do you know how the u.s. got into this latest economic crisis? we have the answer. chicago suffers a grim milestone. 500 homicides this year alone. later this hour, we'll talk to reverend jesse jackson about the probl problem. we'll take you to the kennedy space center for an inside look at the museum. and reviewers are raving about microsoft's latest updates but chances are you aren't even

using it it. we'll explain this tech disconnect. newsroom starts right now. >> good morning. i'm victor blackwell. we're starting with you, your money and your taxes and that cliff. we're just four days from the fiscal cliff. this afternoon in the 11th hour, this is when it always happens, there's a high-stakes meeting at the white house. at the table, president obama and congressional leaders. the goal is to reach an agreement. but the roots of this current crisis can be traced back to the previous administration. cnn's chief business correspondent has a look at how we got here. >> now we have passed a bold package of tax relief for america's families and businesses. >> reporter: it starts more than

a decade ago when president bush initiated a series of tax cuts for all americans. but it's a deal with the devil. the cuts which are politically expedient expire in ten years time. >> both houses of congress have passed a package of tax relief that will protect the middle class. >> reporter: when it came time for the cuts to expire, the u.s. is emerging from the worst e recession from the great depression. so president obama agreed to extend the tax cuts for two more years in exchange for congress extending federal emergency unemployment benefits. those cuts are expensive. if they are extending by 2020, the bush era tax cuts will be responsible for more than half the total national debt. democrats insist that taxes go up for the wealthy but stay in place permanently for those earning less than $250,000 a year. >> we need to stop the job-killing tax hikes and we need to start it cutting spending now. >> republicans refuse to play

ball. they say no higher rates on the rich, no tax hikes on anyone. based on an ideology that calls on government to be as small as possible. its roots are as old as american, but the main spokesman is this man, grover norquist, president of americans for tax reform. norquist's pledge signed by almost all republicans in congress forbids them from raising taxes ever under any circumstances. things come to a head in the summer of 2011. republicans demand the government reduce its deficit as a condition for raising the debt ceiling. without a deal, the u.s. would lose its ability to borrow money. they deploy tactics that nearly shut down the government and ultimately cost america its aaa credit rating for the first time in history. but in a last-minute compromise, both sides agree to a trillion dollars in spending cuts up

front and another $1.2 trillion in cuts to be decided by a special super committee. but a poison pill was attached. if the super committee can't reach a deal, automatic across the board cuts known as the sequester would go into effect january 2013 at the exact moment when the bush tax cuts extended for two years would expire. so the point is we could have all seen this coming. some of us did. we yelled at the top of our lungs but we were drown out by the election. common sense often gets drown out by seemingly endless and continuous elections in america. this time there may be a serious price to pay for it. >> ali joins me now. i want to pick up on that point. you said people were screaming at the tops of their lungs. you were one of them. drown out by an election. it seems like those voices may already been drown out by the next election, kicking the can down the road. now it's a barrel.

what happens now? >> yeah, this is a problem. if i had hair i'd pull it out with yesterday hearing harry reid saying we may not have enough time to get this done. this is the most anticipated thing we have ever seen. we all knew this was coming. the politics, there are real problems here. the bright spots in this economy have been housing and consumer confidence. despite these indicators, the american consumer has stayed steadfast. it started to come apart during the holiday shopping season. it will come out weaker than we expected. we got consumer confidence numbers that are lower than we have seen in the past months. bottom line is everybody is getting spooked by this. that stuff isn't a light switch. once you start losing confidence, once you start losing trust, it's hard to rebuild it. we're an economy on a slow and steady move, not as fast or strong as we'd like it to be.

and this nonsense keeps staring back at that. it's going to take many years to improve our economy and get everybody employed and wreck it with the nonsense that continues to go on in washington. very frustrating. >> all right. thank you for that. four days and we'll see what happens. still ahead this hour, i'll speak with one of the people who will have to vote on a deal if one is finally reached. he's chris van hol lin of maryland. here's a story that makes you shake your head. federal investigators have arrested a new york city woman they say used the school shootings in newtown, connecticut, as a way to make money. 37-year-old noel is accused of posing as a relative of one of the slain children and solicited donations on facebook for a fake funeral fund. instead the fed's say the money went to a papal account she controlled. last week cnn sent a producer to

her door for an explanation. she let us record her voice but not on camera. here's what happened. >> that's not my paypal account. i mean, i have a paypal account like that. >> but that's your e-mail? >> which one? >> it says right there. >> yeah, that's one of my gmails. my personal account. but i never set up any funds for anybody. >> you should know that the family. says they are very upset. >> but i never did anything to hurt them. >> if convicted, she faces up to five years in jail and $250,000 fine. tributes are pouring in this morning for a general norman schwarzkopf died yesterday. he became a household name as he led america to victory during the first gulf war. schwarzkopf was 78. secretary of state hillary clinton will be back at work

next week. she's been at home recovering from the stomach flu and she fainted and suffered that concussion. clinton has promised to testify next month before congress on the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in libya. turning to technology, reviewers say the best part of microsoft's latest operating system is the touch screen. the problem is that one research group says hardly anyone is actually buying a touch screen computer. alison kosik is at the new york stock exchange. people are not taking advantage of this technology. why not? >> cnn money's david goldman y says this is like e throwing out your tv remote and getting up to press the buttons on the tv every time you want to change the channel. but there are a few good reasons people aren't using this technology. for one, market research company says only 5% of windows laptops sold through december 15th had touch screens in the first

place. that's an extremely low number. especially since that's the whole point of this new operating system. so the big problem here is there just aren't that many touch screen laptops out there. and the ones out there are expensive. they usually go for a couple hundred bucks. now on top of all that, there seems to be a gap between microsoft's ads and what consumers understand. despite the aggressive marketing of the touch feature, experts say users aren't used to interacting like that. especially since the market is dominated by smart phones and tablets. all hope is not lost. it's just going to take a little while to catch on. because the system is so different, it will take time for people to adjust. they are hoping that's the case. >> a great program, just taking some time to catch on. >> a lot of critics out there. >> it will still be in the air, but a little closer to ground.

shuttle atlantis soon to go on display at its permanent home in florida. john zarrella is live there. >> reporter: i'm john zarrella at the kennedy space center in florida. and in just a minute, we're going to bring you here inside the museum that's literally being built around the shuttle atlantis. ouncer ] it's that time of year again. time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic criage. citi price rewind. start saving at citi.com/pricerewind. make a wish! i wish we could lie here forever.

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checking top stories. russia may be emerging in more of a player to end the civil war. the foreign minister held talks on syria today.

russia is also reaching out to syrian opposition leaders to hold the meeting. the nation may be shrinking in size, or at least growing at a slower rate. that's according to the u.s. census bureau. the population will be a little more than 315 million on new year's day. that's up less than 1% from the last time the read iing was tak. our population is slowing due to lower birth rates and lower immigration numbers. here's a new year's resolution for drivers in chicago. use the l. starting january 1st, the city will have the most expensive parking meter rates in north america. $6.50 for one hour in the loop. it will be the fifth year in the row e the rates have gone up. here it was on its final mission in july of last year. watch. >> all three engines up and burning. 2, 1, 0, and lift off.

the final lift off of atlantis on the shoulders of the space shuttle. >> now the retired space shuttle will still be in the air, but not as high. elevated off the ground in its permanent home at kennedy space center. the new museum is set to open, but we're getting a sneak preview from john zarrella. john, i can tell by the hard hat and vest that it's still being bui built. a lot of work to be done. >> reporter: yeah, victor, this is an active construction site we're at. this is the museum facility. 90,000 square feet, $100 million project. when atlantis was towed over here, one of the walls was left off to get the vehicle in. . so everybody is asking, where's atlantis? let's take a look. that's it. in shrink wrap. 16,000 square feet of shrink wrap has been used to protect it it from debris that might fall

as they are literally building this entire facility around the shuttle atlantis. and i've got the director of development here with me. i wanted to ask you. you have been involved in a lot of projects. centennial park in atlanta. you're working with a national treasure here. this is different, isn't it? >> this is different. i don't think of you john zarrella as a national treasure, but atlantis is really something special. >> did it make it more difficult to plan this? you have to be so careful. >> there's a lot of people that did a lot of work on this. we have taken a lot of extra time to make sure we present had this in a way that respects the work they have done. >> reporter: a lot of people are asking, can i touch the vehicle? >> no, no, it's a national treasure. it's a one-of-a-kind artifact. over the course of the time ta you're in here, you'll be able

to experience a lot of the things you would normally experience inside the orbiter. >> reporter: nobody can touch it? that's the way with all of them on display because they are, as we say, national treasures. >> absolutely. they are a lot more fragile than you'd think. i'm not a big space geek, but i learned a lot about it this over the course of the last three years. one of it is it's more fragile than you think. >> reporter: 90,000 square feet when it's done, $100 million facility opening next july as the timeframe for it. so going to be a spectacular grand opening. i can't get over seeing this thing and just shrink wrap. strange. >> it will be good for the community to get the tourist dollars coming in after the end of the program. people will get a closer look at

the shuttle. john zarrella, thank you. one of the nation's biggest craft stores hobby lobby is faising a fine up to $1 million per day for refusing to follow some of the rules laid out by the affordable health care law. that story is coming up. c-max has a nice little trait, you see, c-max helps you load your freight, with its foot-activated lift gate. but that's not all you'll see, cause c-max also beats prius v, with better mpg. say hi to the all-new 47 combined mpg c-max hybrid.

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the dow is down almost 100 points and we're 50 minutes into the trading day. alison kosik is live at the new york stock exchange. what's going on? >> it's all about the fiscal

cliff. stocks are lower for the fifth session in a row. this slide began since last thursday. that was when house speaker john boehner failed to bring his plan b for avoiding the fiscal cliff. he failed to bring that to a vote. the market has been selling off a bit every single day because nothing has happened to make investors feel like a deal is going to be reached. news of the meeting today happening at the white house this afternoon, that did help stocks make a comeback late yesterday. but they are selling off once again. it's fun ny you how things can change so quickly. there's just not that much confidence that a deal is going to get done. the market doesn't want a band-aid. one trader said it's too late for that. what the market is looking for is a full deal. >> all right. alison kosik at the new york stock exchange. thank you for that. every 19 minutes someone dies of a drug overdose. most are not from elicit drugs, but fda drugs prescribed to millions of americans.

dr. sanjay gupta reports. >> reporter: i rode along with lieutenant craig. he's been on the job for 30 years. he will tell you when he takes an overdose call, the usual suspect is a painkiller. >> what sort of impact have you seen here in seattle? >> i think if you pull a group of people together from this community, someone in that group is going to have had a friend or loved one that's had difficulty with a prescription drug or potentially died from that. >> reporter: the unit responds to 45 calls a month of overdoses involving these types of medications. this is important, it can be difficult to tell whether it's a painkiller or heroin because they come from the same ingredient and do the same sort of thing to your body. >> aside from needle tracks in the arms, someone who has had an overdose or heroin they could look the same. >> absolutely.

they could be unconscious from a medication that they think is relatively safe for them because instead of getting it it on the street they get it from a pharmacist. >> possible drug overdose. people these are suffering from chronic pain. they know that a little bit of pain medication helps so maybe a lot would help. >> reporter: when we arrive, another medic is on the scene. >> somewhere in that parking garage, there was a call about someone having a drug overdose. >> reporter: the victim came to and walked away. while we're there, another call and it's been just a few minutes. >> his medical investigation reveals startling truths about prescription drug abuse and how easy it is to take that deadly dose. that and more saturday afternoon at 4:30 eastern and sunday morning at 7:30 here on cnn. up next, we'll talk to the

reverend jesse jackson in chicago. the city just saw its 500th homicide of the year. it happened last night. we'll talk to the reverend about the ongoing problem of gun violence in the city and ways to solve it.

for 13 years in d.c. traffic, robert harrison made a sometimes difficult living as a limousine driver. but a slew of new drivers has

him heading into the holidays with real optimism about his job. >> they have saved the day for us as independent limo drivers. >> that's the impact? >> he owes it to uber, a new service that allows drivers to connect electronically with people nearby who need a car right now. >> reporter: your smart phone knows where you are. you put in a request for a car and in a matter of moments -- >> i have a hit. >> reporter: that allows drivers who have hours to kill between prearranged rides to turn the waiting time into money-making time. uber gets 20% of each fare, the driver gets the rest. the idea was born five years ago and has spread to a dozen cities. >> if you can fill that time out for those guys, help them get business during their dead time, they can do a far better job making ends meet. making a living wage.

>> reporter: the rise is not without controversy. in a number of cities, taxi operators and local officials have questioned whether uber is dodging laws that controls taxi rates and protect consumers. an uber car is more expensive, but the service is proving so popular with customers who like the comfort and convenience some cities are already pushing aside the reservations and harrison s says that's great news. >> no uber driver will tell you they are not making any money. if they are, they are trying to discourage other drivers. try running four.ning a restaurant is hard, fortunately we've got ink.

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checking top stories now. finally some relief from that winter storm that crossed the country this week bringing all the snow and record-breaking snow even. high winds and tornadoes. the storm is blamed for ten deaths and some lingering snow is falling in the northeast today. people from arkansas to tennessee are seeing freezing rain. tributes are pouring in this morning for general norman schwarzko schwarzkopf. he died yesterday. he led america to victory as commander of coalition forces during the first gulf war. he was 78. hobby lobby is bracing for a $1.3 million a day fine starting january 1st for bucking some of the rules laid out in the affordable health care law. the company opposes providing some contraceptives to employees

on religious grounds. they say some contraceptive products like the morning after pill equate to abortion. with the nation reeling from the tragedy in newtown, connecticut, and engaged in a national debate on gun control, chicago suffered a grim milestone of its own last night. a man was killed in a shooting on chicago's dangerous west side and the scene marked chicago's 500th homicide this year alone. that's up more than 50 from last year. when we were researching this story this morning, one statistic jumped out and it's this one. 270 killed have been killed by gun violence. you have dozens of other injuries. don lemon joins me now. you spent some time there during a period where these gun murders were spiking. >> you were talking about the children. last time i was there covering this story in depth was when an

elementary school died and it was caught on videotape and sparked the nation to look at chicago. i not only went there when it was at its worst, i lived there for three years. and i am very familiar with these communities. and so when this started happening and the nation we figured here on cnn and i did that the nation needed to know about it. we went and we talked about it. but i wanted you to hear one of the main reasons that this happens is because of these people who are committing this gun violence and also victims of it as well, they feel they have no other option. they would rather do had this, sell drugs, be in gangs than work at mcdonald's. listen to one man. he's an admitted gang bang er. you'll hear his voice. >> what's the violence for? what's the reason for shooting? why do so many people get shot?

>> so you kill somebody you get rid of them, that's more money for you? i don't mean you specifically. >> he says, listen, i'm just a small fry but i'm eating. they figure if they wipe out the next person, then they will have more of a territory. it's not just these guys. it's not just the people who are doing this. it's also the guns, let's be honest about it. there's a court order from indiana to illinois. there are gun shows and the loophole is all a part of that as well. there's a proliferation of guns on the streets of many major ci cities which adds to the problem. but ultimately the people in chicago are responsible for their own neighborhoods, their own shootings, and everything that goes on. yes, guns proliferate the streets, but those people have

to get ahold of their communities if they want to stop it. >> the question is what is the solution? >> the solution i think is looking at gun laws and, again, from people who legitimate gun owners who know how to use guns, no one wants to take that right away. but we have to look at who is in possession of these guns and how they are getting into the hands of the wrong people. case in point, chicago, 500th homicide. >> thank you very much. we're going to continue this conversation. in 2010 the u.s. supreme court overturned chicago's 28-year ban on handguns. but that city still has some of the toughest laws on the books when it comes to owning firearms. this has been a very violent year on the streets of chicago. last night the city saw its 500th homicide this year. chicago police department told cnn this morning that 87% of those homicides are a result of gun violence. carol costello interviewed david

keene yesterday. here's what he said about chicago. >> i'll tell you who i'd like to have indicted and prosecuted. the people in chicago. the criminals in chicago who made that one of the most violent cities in america. in chicago there's less chance that you'll be prosecuted under federal firearms laws than in almost any major city in this country and that's a crime. >> joining me now is reverend jesse jackson. reverend, good morning. >> good morning, sir. >> i want to get your reaction to what david keene said. but first, what's your reaction to this grim milestone from last night in chicago, the 500th homicide of 2012. >> it is a grim reminder of how desperate we are. we have been riveted by the killing in newtown, the massacre of these children who will never see santa clause again. something about that grabbed us.

the focus serves to illuminate the crisis here in chicago. here is a problem. guns in the suburbs and drugs come in from mexico. and we know the three gun shops that sell most of the guns that come to chicago. one gun shop sells half the guns that kill people in chicago. the mayor is working on that. they have to stop the guns coming in and jobs going out. >> so what's the solution? you mentioned that you know the gun shops outside of the city of chicago that are selling the n guns that are being seized inside chicago. what's the solution? shut down the gun shops? and how far do you extend that? >> that's a part of it. we look at roseland, englewood, the unemployment is a factor in

this. drug, gun war is taking place. gun manufacturers are making money. the drug peddlers are making money. we need the gun manufacturers to be liable when someone is killed with their weapons. >> so you think they should be sued? >> do you think gun makers should be sued by the government as cigarette makers were? >> oh, yes. it's one thing, i think, for militia that have guns, but these assault weapons, the white house just a year ago, these members are killing people in classrooms and theaters and shoot on airplanes. this is a matter of homeland security. this is not just a matter of having a little gun to play

with. if you want a gun for your house, you've got it. i can understand that. but these weapons, the power of these weapons is of such that have been used not to enforce the drug trade. and they make guns in the suburbs. >> but these assault weapons are not the ones that are killing people in chicago in large part. they are not the ones killing the 32,000 americans you mentioned who are shot involved in these gun crimes every year. would this reenstatement for the ban, would that really address the problem in major cities like chicago? >> it will address it in aurora, colorado, and newtown, connecticut and at the university here in illinois. that part of it. but there's no background check.

15,000 gun shops. plus the gun shows without any gun checks. so we have become addicted to violence. every time there's another killing, gun sales spike up. we think the more guns make us more secure. they make us less secure. we're trapped. guns from the suburbs down in connecticut and mississippi. unless we have a national background check, some national gun flow, we're going to self-destroy. >> let's get to david keene and his comments on the show yesterday. he said chicago needs tougher prosecutions for gun crimes, but also he mentioned that in places where these bans on guns exist, there are higher rates of gun crimes. you say you're helpless in chicago. if chicago has enacted this ban on gun sales and this still happens, if baltimore does it,

would it not have the same effect? >> i think about newtown, they have three or four gun ranges. we have almost no unemployment. they have this tragedy of really two killings in ten years. newtown is so different than the compl complexity of the urban crisis. i'm glad the president went to newtown. his heartfelt pain was heartfelt and it was appropriately applied. the reason we come to chicago, because it illuminates how complex it is. 40% unemployment does matter. lack of education does matter. i went to the cook county jail again on christmas morning. i asked how many of them had been shot. three quarters stood up. i asked them, you have been shot and you shot somebody, will you join us in a drive to stop guns.

we must talk to the victims of the gunshots and those doing the shooting and we have lost our hope, our economic, we need j s jobs. >> i'm going to make one more turn at this question. the original question was chicago has some of the strictest and most tough gun laws in the country. if this level of gun laws doesn't work in chicago and you still have the guns coming from outside the city in and 500 homicides this year, what's the argument to extending this nationally and to other cities? >> the guns are not coming from chicago. >> true. that's what i'm saying. if other cities were to enact the laws that have been enacted in chicago and it hasn't worked for chicago, 87% of the homicides are gun crimes, why should baltimore do it? why should new york do it? chicago has tough laws, it tnt

working. >> well, chicago in a bubble. as the manufacturers, we're target markets for gun flow. you have a combination of guns and drugs and we need a comprehensive plan. it's also poverty and lack of education. people think killing is the only way out. we need a comprehensive plan. not just gun violence alone is the issue here. >> reverend jackson, thank you very much. i thank you for being part of this debate. >> thank you, sir. >> we're back after a quick break. ughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online.

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in four hours we'll see a last-ditch effort to keep us from going over the fiscal cliff. the president and key congressional players will meet at the white house to play let's make a deal. joining me is chris van holland of maryland. we have seen these meetings at the the white house, conference calls, press conferences, statements. we're going to see something out of this that gets us closer to a deal. >> as you said, there is a last-ditch effort by the president to bring together the

congressional leaders to avoid at least the tax portion of the fiscal cliff, which is the biggest portion of the fiscal cliff. the president has put many proposals on the table, as you know. speaker boehner walked away from the last proposal. hopefully this time will be different. the speaker has to allow the house to work its will, to have a majority vote here. he's not allowed us to have a vote on a senate-passed bill. hopefully he'll allow us to have an up or down vote on whatever comes out of this meet pg. >> now the ball is in the senate's court and we know leader reid will have to put some sweeteners into this bill to get a few republicans to sign on to get maybe some of the retiring republicans or those who are not -- well probably just retiring republicans since things have gone over the past few months in the senate. what things in this bill would

you say would not get democratic support? what's off limits? >> what we're talking about now is the tax part of the fiscal cliff. as you know, the senate on a bipartisan basis has already passed a bill. so that has to be the foundation of more than the senate does. when you say the action begins in the senate, that's because speaker boehner has declared that the house will not even vote on that compromised senate bill. that's a choice that he's made. he's said that he's not going to allow a vote to come up in the house unless half of the republican members support it, even though it might have support with the full majority in the house. in other words, i believe we could take up the bill that prevents the fiscal cliff and get it passed in the house. the only thing preventing us from doing that is that the

speakers refuse to allow a vote on that. people need to understand that that plan would provide tax relief to 100% of american families on their first $250,000 of income and for folks above that level, they would be paying a little more on the amount of their income above $250,000. that was the bipartisan senate plan. we should have a vote on a plan like that here in the house. >> congressman, last hour i spoke with a woman her name was karen duct. she lives just outside your district. she could lose her unemployment benefits this weekend if no one comes through with a deal that can be sign ed by the president. here's what she said to you and the rest of washington. >> i would ask them to please come together and make a decision, a decision is needed. put all the personalities aside and step up and make a decision.

it's not that difficult to make a decision to make sure that millions of americans have food to put on their table and to be able to pay their rent. >> what's your response? >> she's absolutely right. that's exactly what president obama has proposed. he's proposed a plan that would extend all the middle class tax cuts and provide extended unemployment benefits for people who are out of work through no fault of their own who are still looking for a job. that's exactly the proposal the president has put forward. that's exactly the proposal that we have asked to have a vote on in the house of representatives. we haven't asked speaker boehner to support the bill. we have just asked them to have a vote on exactly the kind of proposal that you and that caller were talking about. >> we are now four days out. we'll see what happens. congressman, thank you very much. >> thank you. we're back after another break.

you know her from tv and movie, but you may not know what she's dedicated her life to, giving back. here's big stars, big giving and eva longoria.

>> i'm being pulled in a million different directions. sex trafficking in thailand or dolphins in japan. you can't do everything. so i'm thinking what do i really want to do. where can i create the most impact? >> reporter: to answer that question you could say eva longoria looked in the mirror. known for playing the vixen on "desperate housewives", longoria had humble beginnings. the youngest of four daughters born in texas to mexican-american parents. . . >> i wasn't the first to go to college. it was expected. >> when you went to college, it wasn't a walk in the park. you had to work. >> i was flipping burgers, i was an assistant to a dentist, i worked in a car shop changing oil. i was definitely a work study.

>> 17% of latinas drop out of high school. so in 2010 the actress started a foundation focusing on helping latinas get a college education. >> so i just have to smooz with them. >> reporter: on the day we meet up with her at this high school in los angeles, she's the keynote speaker at a graduation for parents. >> everyone here has taken a stand for their child. >> reporter: their program is called piqe. >> parents can take the course in order to help them navigate the institution of schools. it's not easy. i have sat with a lot of these parents before the program and they didn't know what a transcript looked like, they didn't know what a gpa was. >> reporter: children of parents who graduate are guaranteed admission to one of seven schools in the cal state university system provided they

meet the basic requirements. >> i only went to the elementary school. >> reporter: she graduated so her daughter could have a better future. >> very dpogood. make your mother proud. >> we need to be an educated community because this is our future workforce. . >> reporter: something longoria has talked about a lot on the campaign trail and now as a co-chair of president obama's inaugural committee. >> were you nervous? >> i'm very nervous. >> reporter: politics and philanthropy, making a difference in both. >> i'm funding these programs because i believe in them. it's important that you yourself as a role model, as an activist, that you yourself give out of your back pocket. i would give my shirt before i'd ask you to give yours. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly

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starting at $99 installed plus 15% off accessories. sale ends midnight january 2nd. top stories now. new york city police are searching for a woman this morning after a man was pushed to his death on a subway platform. witnesses say a woman was pacing that platform and mumble to herself. this is the second time in a month someone has been shoved in front of a train. los angeles police probably did not expect to see this at a gun buyback program. "the l.a. times" reports that at least one rocket launcher was among the thousands of firearms turned in. no word whether the launcher was real, but the buyback program broke records. and in money, banks setting

records this year but not in a good way. bad behavior costing banks a whopping $10 billion in fines. more than half of that was related to improper mortgage practices. other charges include money laundering for manipulating interest rates. i'm victor blackwell. cnn "newsroom" continues after this break. make me happy ♪ [ female announcer ] choose the same brand your mom trusted for you. children's tylenol, the #1 brand of pain and fever relief recommended by pediatricians and used by moms decade after decade. i just finished a bowl of your new light chicken pot pie soup and it's so rich and creamy... is it really 100 calories? let me put you on webcan... ...lean roasted chicken... and a creamy broth mmm i can still see you. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.